The invention generally relates to a light emitting diode (LED), and more particularly, to the fabricating of LEDs with light wavelength conversion using scattering optical media.
A light emitting diode (LED) is a well known form of solid state illuminator. LEDs have been widely used as indicators, displays and light sources. As a semiconductor element, an LED is characterized by good burn-out rates, high vibration resistance, and durability in enduring repetitive ON and OFF operations.
Conventional LEDs generally emit light in the red portion of the light spectrum. For light wavelength conversion, e.g., shifting the wavelength of the light emitted from the red portion, the LED is doped using various impurities. Such a technique in the art of doping the LED with impurities cannot, however, provide feasibly efficient light emission across the entire range of the visible spectrum.
As opposed to red light, blue is at the short-wavelength end of the visible spectrum. Techniques have developed in the art to exploit the blue portion of the spectrum in generating a wider range of light emission from an LED. The relatively short wavelength of the blue light permits the shifting of the light emitted from a blue LED to the light emission of other colors in the spectrum, including a white light. This is accomplished through fluorescence or light wavelength conversion, which is a process where a light of relatively short wavelength is absorbed and re-emitted as a longer-wavelength light.
FIG. 1a is a diagram illustrating an LED with light wavelength conversion in the art. The LED includes a semiconductor chip 1, wires 2 and 3, leads 4 and 5, wavelength converting substance 6 and epoxy encapsulation 7. Semiconductor chip 1, serving as the light emitting component in the LED, generates primary light when an electrical current is applied to the chip 1 through wires 2 and 3, which are electrically connected to leads 4 and 5. The wavelength converting substance 6, containing a specified phosphor, covers the light emitting component (i.e., semiconductor chip 1) and is molded in resin. An n electrode and p electrode of the semiconductor chip 1 are connected to leads 4 and 5, respectively, by means of wires 2 and 3.
For light wavelength conversion, the active element of the LED is the wavelength converting substance 6 that partly absorbs the initial light from the semiconductor chip 1 and generates the secondary light. Part of the light generated from the semiconductor chip 1 (hereinafter referred to as the LED light) excites the phosphor contained in the wavelength converting substance 6 for generating a fluorescent light having a wavelength different from that of the LED light. The fluorescent light emitted by the phosphor and the LED light (which is output without contributing to the excitation of the phosphor) are mixed and output for emission. Consequently, the LED outputs a light having a wavelength different from that of the LED light emitted by the light emitting component, i.e., the semiconductor chip 1.
The phosphor included in the wavelength converting substance 6 can be fluorescent materials known in the art, or micro-crystals of garnet fluorescent material available in the art. For ultraviolet (UV) primary light emission, the wavelength converting substance 6 includes dense phosphor powder. FIG. 1b is a diagram illustrating, in conjunction with FIG. 1a, an LED with light wavelength conversion in the art using dense phosphor powder. The phosphor powder is embedded in epoxy 9 and densely deposited as a thin covering layer on the surface of the light emitting component (i.e., semiconductor chip 1). For blue primary light emission, the wavelength converting substance 6 includes dilute phosphor powder. FIG. 1c is a diagram illustrating, in conjunction with FIG. 1a, an LED with light wavelength conversion in the art using dilute phosphor powder. The phosphor powder is embedded in epoxy 9 and deposited, in a dilute proportion, on the surface of the light emitting component, as a thick cover, distant spherical or plan layer or as a lens molded to the semiconductor chip 1.
For light wavelength conversion, LEDs in the art (such as the LED disclosed in FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c) have problems in controlling color uniformity in light emission. The primary light generated by semiconductor chip 1 is partially blocked by the electrode formed on the chip 1 which results in a particular emission pattern where light is not emitted uniformly in every direction or angle. The inclusion of the phosphor powder in the wavelength converting substance 6, however, causes the emission of the light in a uniform manner. The two conflicting phenomena in emission uniformity (or lack thereof) create substantial difficulties in controlling the light color uniformity over emission angles or directions that results in uncontrolled variation of the color of the light emission.
There is therefore a general need in the art for an improved LED with light wavelength conversion, and more particularly for an LED that overcomes the aforementioned problems in the art.
The invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) or other light emitting means such as a laser diode (LD) comprising a light emitting component and scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP) which absorb a part of light emitted by the light emitting component and emits light of a wavelength that is different from that of the absorbed light. The employment of light scattering media or dispersion media such as dielectric particles (or any particles with a band gap larger than 3 eV, which do not absorb blue light in the spectrum) in an LED significantly improves the light uniformity of a light emitted by the LED.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the LED includes a crystalline semiconductor chip serving as the light emitting component. The dielectric phosphor powder is made of a mixture of microscopic, nearly spherical dielectric particles and phosphor particles. The spherical dielectric micro-particles can be made of wide-band-gap semiconductors or transparent dielectrics. The DPP forms scattering optical media, whose refractive index, scattering properties and light conversion properties are controlled by the refractive index and radii of the dielectric particles. Using DPP in the LED allows effective light extraction from the light emitting component of the LED (e.g., the crystalline semiconductor chip), effective light wavelength conversion, and substantially uniform color distribution over emission angles, and wider emission angle of the light generated by the LED with DPP, in contrast to conventional LEDs with light conversion without DPP.
The scattering optical media such as DPP can also include phosphor particles, and bubbles (or voids) instead of the dielectric particles. The bubbles of the DPP have a band gap larger than 3 eV which do not absorb blue light in the spectrum. The bubbles can be air bubbles, N2 bubbles, noble gas bubbles. Furthermore, the DPP can also be a mixture of the bubbles, dielectric particles, and the phosphor particles.
According to another embodiment, the invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) comprising a light emitting component (such as a crystalline semiconductor chip) and scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP) made of a mixture of crystalline phosphor particles and microscopic, nearly spherical dielectric particles.
According to yet another embodiment, the invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) comprising a light emitting component (such as an AlInGaN crystalline semiconductor chip) encapsulated into scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP). The DPP is made of a mixture of microscopic, nearly spherical dielectric particles of microcrystalline AlN. The LED according to this particular embodiment can also be a white LED.
According to a further embodiment, the invention provides an LED comprising a light emitting component such as an InGaN semiconductor chip encapsulated into scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP). The DPP is made of a mixture of nearly spherical dielectric particles of amorphous Si3N4 with radii generally between 50 and 5000 nm, and micro-crystals of garnet fluorescent material with radii generally between 1000 and 10,000 nm. The LED according to this particular embodiment can also be a white LED.
According to an additional embodiment, the invention provides an LED comprising a light emitting component such as an InGaN semiconductor chip encapsulated into scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP). The DPP is made of a mixture of nearly spherical dielectric particles of amorphous SiO2 with radii generally between 50 and 5000 nm, and micro-crystals of garnet fluorescent material with radii generally between 1000 and 10,000 nm. The LED according to this particular embodiment can also be a white LED.
According to a yet additional embodiment, the invention provides an LED comprising a light emitting component such as an AlInGaN semiconductor chip encapsulated into scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP). The DPP is made of a mixture of nearly spherical dielectric particles of amorphous GaN with radii generally between 50 and 5000 nm, and micro-crystals of garnet fluorescent material with radii generally between 1000 and 10,000 nm. The LED according to this particular embodiment can also be a white LED.
An exemplary structure of an LED according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a crystalline semiconductor chip encapsulated into epoxy, wires connected to the semiconductor chip, metallic leads connected to the wires, and an epoxy encapsulation covered with scattering optical media such as dielectric phosphor powder (DPP). The DPP is made of a mixture of nearly spherical dielectric particles with crystalline phosphor particles embedded into the epoxy.